The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks played a division rivalry game Wednesday night, and the matchup did not disappoint. The Blues won 3-2 over the Blackhawks in a thrilling shootout, winning their fourth game in a row.
The Blues and Blackhawks are currently battling for a playoff position in the Central Division, and the standings are tight. Chicago is leading the division along with the Dallas Stars with 88 points, but the Blues are right there with 87 points this season. The game on Wednesday could end up being key if the Blues make a run to the division title.
The shootout went into the sixth round between the teams, with Kevin Shattenkirk scoring the winning goal. Shattenkirk had praise for goalie Jake Allen, who stopped Teuvo Tervainen to seal the game in the shootout. The Blackhawks kept the shootout going with goals from Artemi Panarin, Troy Brouwer and Artem Anisimov after Patrik Berglund opened with a score. However, Shattenkirk was able to get a goal by Corey Crawford, and the Blackhawks could not respond.
"Jake made some big saves for us there," Shattenkirk said. "They are a team that they are deadly in the shootout. They seem to have a lot of weapons, obviously, a lot of guys who can chip in."
David Backes and Brouwer had goals in the third period to give the Blues a lead before Panarin tied the game late. Andrew Ladd had scored in the second period for the Blackhawks, who still earned a point in the shootout loss. The Blackhawks dominated the game early, but the Blues did not give up on things and stormed back in the second period.
Panarin tied the game late, continuing his strong season as a rookie. Panarin is leading all rookies with 60 points, including 25 goals and 37 assists. The Blackhawks almost won the game in overtime, but the Blues caught a break after Ladd stuffed a rebound into the net, as referees ruled no goal after Ladd made contact with Allen.
The two teams also will play in the 2017 Winter Classic next season. The game was announced on Wednesday, and it will take place on Jan. 2 at Busch Stadium. The rivalry should only get better by the time the Winter Classic comes up next season.
